SLIAC Game of the Week - Spalding vs. Webster
Posted: Oct 07, 2014

SLIAC Game of the Week - Spalding vs. Webster

This week's St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Game of the Week is a women's soccer meeting between Spalding University and Webster University. The SLIAC Game of the Week highlights one key conference match-up each week.

At A Glance
The women's soccer contest between Spalding University and Webster University is this week's featured SLIAC Game of the Week. The game will pit the top two offenses in the SLIAC against each other as both teams put their undefeated conference records on the line. Both schools begin the week with a perfect 2-0 record in SLIAC play while Spalding enters the game tied for the longest active winning streak in the league and Webster is just one of two teams in the conference with a winning record.

About Spalding
Spalding is currently 4-5 overall and 2-0 in the SLIAC. They have won two straight games, both against conference opponents. The Golden Eagles picked up a 3-1 win against Greenville and followed with a 9-0 win over Iowa Wesleyan in their most recent game. Spalding is second in the SLIAC in goals with 25 and average 13.6 shots per game.

They are led by sophomore Dee Dee Sliter who leads the conference with eight goals this season. Sliter also leads her team in assists with five and added two game winning goals. Freshman Baylee Tabler has made an immediate impact on the pitch with six goals and three assists. The Golden Eagles have been out shot this season by their opponents but the duo of Kelsey Kaiser and Emily Lindsay have been solid in net. Kaiser holds a 1.40 goals against average with a save percentage of .778 and 28 saves in just over 500 minutes of action.

About Webster
Webster starts the week with a 5-4-3 overall record and a 2-0 mark in the SLIAC. The Gorloks are coming off an 11-0 win over Eureka last Saturday. Webster has won three of their last four games with their only loss being a 1-0 decision to Augustana on September 27.  Webster is tops in the league in scoring with 32 goals and average a conference high 20.6 shots per game.

The Gorloks have controlled the pace in their games, out shooting their opponents 247-92 this season. They use a balanced offensive attack led by Kayla Dye, Allison Ferguson, Brianna Pagan and Vanessa Carlos who all have double digits in total points. Dye leads the team with six goals and four assists while Carlos is second on the team with five goals. In net the Gorloks have seen freshman Rachael Ainsworth take over in net. In over 700-minutes of action Ainsworth has recorded 22 saves for a .786 save percentage and a 0.73 goals against average.

Game Notes

  • Webster leads the all-time series against Spalding 5-0 including a 3-0 win over Spalding in last year's meeting. 
  • Webster was picked as the 2014 SLIAC Preseason favorites while Spalding was picked third.
  • This game features the top three scorers in the league this year. Spalding's Dee Dee Sliter leads the conference with 21 points while teammate Baylee Tabler is third with 15 points. Webster's Kayla Dye is second with 16 total points.
  • Webster has outscored their conference opponents 18-0 so far this season.
  • Webster has won two straight SLIAC Tournament titles while Spalding is looking to get into the tournament field for the first time in program history.